Tag: Wrexham

Value is a relative concept, and it is all the more so in the case of sporting events. In recent times, for example, the standard fall-back position for those that defend the increasingly extortionate prices that many football clubs now charge for season tickets has been the size of the waiting list for season tickets at their club. What happens, however, in the case of a match for which the exact numbers that will turn up is, broadly speaking, unknown? What is the cut-off point at which the casual supporter thinks to themselves that they cannot justify this expense to themselves? We may well find out the answer to this in a couple of weeks’ time, after the announcement of the prices for the final of the Blue Square Premier play-offs. The match is due to be played at The City of Manchester Stadium on the twenty-first of May. It would be something of a surprise, to say the least, if it isn’t played between AFC Wimbledon and Luton Town, considering that these two clubs won their away legs in the semi-finals by two and three goals respectively. This would achieve the significant end of season double-whammy of having thousands of supporters from the south-east of England in Manchester for a play-off final whilst thousands of others, from Manchester City and Stoke City, head in the opposite direction for...

The landscape of the lower divisions has, perhaps, changed more than we have noticed over the last couple of decades. Twenty years ago, Luton Town were in the First Division and had been there for some time, while Wrexham were finishing at the bottom of Division Four. Both teams were, arguably, a little lucky. Luton finished third from bottom in the table but stayed up because only two clubs were relegated that season, while Wrexham were saved because there was no relegation from the Football League because of the expansion of the league. Luton fell from the First Division as the Premier League was being sworn in. Wrexham surivived – and very occasionally prospered – before tumbling into the Blue Square Premier in 2008. Fast forward to the current day, and the two clubs finished the Blue Square Premier season just three points apart. Both fell from the Football League during the last decade, both in no small part due to financial mismanagement. Their supporters are part of a generation that spend their lives in a form of football purgatory. The Blue Square Premier is speckled with such clubs – former Football League clubs that may, to a lesser or greater extent, harbour a sense of grievance at their comparatively reduced current circumstances. If we look at the fixture list in the BSP every week throughout the season, there...

Close of business today, we had been told, was the deadline, and the sanction if this wasn’t met was common knowledge. Wrexham FC was to be barred from entering this year’s Blue Square Premier play-offs with one of Kidderminster Harriers, York City or Darlington replacing them, depending on the way that results went on Saturday afternoon. The reason for the Football Conference playing hardball over this was obvious. The club had a winding up hearing at the High Court in London on the eleventh of May, which is slap bang in the middle of the play-offs and, although previous cases involving football clubs would seem to confirm that adjournments are the norm for a first winding up petition hearing, there were no guarantees of this and unless the outstanding bill was paid in full by this date, the club could theoretically have been wound up at this first hearing. With this in mind, the Football Conference stated that Wrexham’s outstanding tax bill had to be paid before the final round of Blue Square Premier fixtures this weekend and their tactic seems to have been successful. This afternoon, an official club statement confirmed that the £200,000 bill has been paid, which is more than can be said for the club’s players, who, it has been reported, have not been paid yet this month. We don’t know exactly how this has...

The Easter weekend is traditionally the weekend during which most non-league promotion and relegation issues are sorted out one way or the other and, with a round of fixtures to be played this afternoon, we’re going to take a moment to catch up with some of Saturday’s matches. Our first match comes from the foot of the Blue Square South. Havant & Waterlooville’s league season is effectively over, but Saturday was critical for Lewes, who went into Saturday’s match desperately needing a win to maintain any realistic chance of staying up. They are at home against relegation rivals Bishops Stortford this afternoon. At the top of the same table, Ebbsfleet United, in third place in the table, are more or less guaranteed a place in the play-offs, but Chelmsford City sit just outside of the top five and were another team in desperate need of three points on the road with a trip to Ebbsfleet on Good Friday. A win would leave Chelmsford just a point off the play-off places and they are also at home this afternoon, against Bromley. Another team chasing a play-off place are Wrexham, in the Blue Square Premier. We’ll have a further update on what has been going on at The Racecourse Ground this evening, but on the pitch the team has been continuing to go reasonably well and on Saturday they were away...

Regular readers of this site will be more than aware of the tribulations currently surrounding Wrexham Football Club. The former chair of the Wrexham Supporters Trust, Lindsay Jones, has sent this open letter to HMRC which he has granted us permission to reprint here. Re Wrexham FC (2006) Dear Mr Norrell, I am writing to you on the above subject in the hope that I can help in some way to resolve the current situation. As a Wrexham supporter of many years standing I have followed the slow decline of my club with a growing frustration and anger. This is shared by many thousands of my fellow supporters who can see our improved performance on the pitch matched by a jaw dropping incompetence off it. We have observed a proud institution reduced to a circus side show by owners who have sought to utilise its assets to support their other business interests. My only motivation in writing to you is to try and rescue my club from the machinations of these characters and of course help HMRC to recoup the monies owed to it by my club. You may, or may not, be aware of the following brief narrative. If not I hope that you will be in a position to investigate this matter. Wrexham FC is the oldest football club in Wales and plays its football at the...